Lay People

"Lay People are, put simply, the vast majority of the people of God" (Evangelii Gaudium 102)

In the Carmelite Family the laity represents a great number of faithful who live the Carmelite spirituality and are inspired by the charism of the Order in their daily lives. These men and women, adult and young, have been called by the Lord to share a mission within our Order, in the Church, and ultimately in our modern societies.

The Rule for the Third Order of Carmel is printed in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French. For orders and further information please contact: Edizioni Carmelitane.

Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher: Edizioni Carmelitane, Via Sforza Pallavicini, 10, 00193 Rome, Italy.

From the beginning, the Carmelites assisted groups of lay people who disired to live a better Christian life through their devotion to Our Lady, their prayer, their charity. In time, the groups which were better organized gathered together into a well-structured institution with specific obligations: this became known as the Carmelite Third Order, true school of holiness and of ecclesial commitment, with a Rule of its own.

The Third Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel is an association of lay people who, in response to a call from God promise to live the Gospel in the spirit of the Carmelite Order and under its guidance.

As well as lay people, diocesan priests, who find in the Carmelite charism help for their spiritual lives and their mission in the Church and the world, may be members of the Carmelite Third Order.

The Scapular Confraternity of Carmel is an association of the faithful who strive for the perfection of charity in the world in the spirit of the Carmelite Order. Through their free commitment, they participate in the life of the Order and its spiritual benefits in an intimate communion of thought, ideals and works, together with Mary.

The following of Christ and of Mary, as understood and lived according to the charism of the Order, is the ideal of the faithful in the Carmelite Family. They can rely on the help and support of all the brothers and sisters who share in the same ideal. The members of the Carmelite Family live their commitment in various ways: in solitude, in community, in the apostolic life, on the streets of the world, working with Mary for the Kingdom of Christ.

Jesus’ life mission and purpose is to reveal the Kingdom of God which pertains to matters of the heart as found in his teaching on love and advanced in the Beatitudes. Ironically, since childhood the Baptized are instructed

The Lay Carmelite is called to the Family of Carmel to be deeply involved in the mission of the Church, to contribute to the transformation of the secular world. A Lay Carmelite does this by sharing in the charism of the Carmelite Order. We find in Mary, the Mother of Jesus,

We are quite pleased to bring to you the latest E-Bulletin for the Carmelite Laity around the world.

The main highlight of the new issue is the conclusion of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy featuring two excellent articles. The first one is about the official celebrations at the end of this special year,

As Carmelites We live our life of allegiance to Jesus Christ and to serve Him faithfully with a pure heart and a clear conscience through a commitment to seek the face of the living God (the contemplative dimension of life), through prayer, through fraternity, and through service (diakonia). These three fundamental elements of the charism are not distinct and unrelated values, but closely interwoven.

All of these we live under the protection, inspiration and guidance of Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whom we honor as "our Mother and sister."